Thou place of rev’rie

Over at Cleansing Fire, a terrific group blog focused on the goings-on of my home diocese of Rochester, Ben Anderson informs us of a new project which archives all of the issues of the local Catholic Courier back to 1889. A quick search of my surname this weekend uncovered some fascinating tidbits. The first is my mother and father’s wedding notice from 1966. The groomsmen and bridesmaids were near-constant figures in my childhood. Next up is news of my first major fight in the Aquinas Institute Mission Bouts of 1983, a life-changing moment. Lastly, there is mention of my nomination to the Naval Academy in 1986. As things turned out, I “qualified,” which meant I had a 70% chance of admission. They then asked me to attend a prep school to get a stronger math background, and that was the end of that. Coincidentally, my oldest son, Benedict, won his first fight over the weekend at the Cincinnati High School Boxing tournament (he and his fellow fighters take on AQ on Feb. 9). Watch it below; he’s in red.

Thanks, Dennis. I am proud. (He’s 6’2″, 175 lbs as a freshman.) It was life-changing because I had to fight the same boy twice, three days apart, and he destroyed me the first time. My father rallied me and gave me the hope and confidence to fight again and win. Sometimes I think I’m still living off the transcendent fuel from that fight. You can read about it in a eulogy I wrote for my father in the days after he died, seven years ago this month:

wow, Rich – you hit the jackpot naming your son Benedict. How did you foresee that one? I’ve never been much into boxing, but hearing you speak of it and watching some of this fight makes me reconsider.

Thanks, vrf. Yes, I was impressed by his ability to control the ring. That said, he needs to quit dropping his hands during combinations, or a decently thrown hook is going to put his fanny on the canvas.

[…] Boxing program, and I couldn’t have been prouder of him during his first year. He won his first fight handily but fought a more experienced fighter the second time and thought he could man-handle him. […]